Summary During fishing operations on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, a deckhand on the RYANE SISTERS was struck and seriously injured while he was retrieving a fish box from beneath the raised dump table when the lifting cable parted. The deckhand sustained severe leg injuries and he was transported by rescue helicopter to a hospital in St. John's, Newfoundland. Ce rapport est galement disponible en franais. Other Factual Information The RYANE SISTERS is an east coast Cape Island type wooden hulled vessel with the wheelhouse and accommodation forward and a partly sheltered work deck located aft over the fish hold (see Appendix A, Photo 1). A steel A frame structure straddles the work deck aft from which two scallop rakes are deployed. The dump table is located across the stern between the 'A' frame side posts and is hinged at the after end. Separate trawl winches are used for hauling in each port and starboard rake. A topping winch serves to raise and lower the dump table and to manoeuvre the retrieved rakes to and from the table (see Appendix A, Photo 2). The topping winch is located on the starboard side of the shelter deck rail at 95.25 cm[1] from the centre line. The dump table consists of a wooden platform bolted to a steel frame and enclosed with steel plating. It extends athwartships 4.9 m over the work deck, with a hinged attachment at the stern bulwark. The forward edge of the table measures 2.3 m from its hinges to the lifting lug and rests horizontally on steel legs to provide an underside clearance of 0.53 m above the deck. The weight of the table structure in a clean state is estimated to be 1.25 t (see Appendix A, Photo. 5). The galvanised steel wire lifting cable was 1.27 cm in diameter right regular lay 6 X 25 filler with an independent wire rope core. It was led aft from the topping winch drum, up to and through a 22.86 cm single sheave topping (lifting) block which hung from the centre line beam at the head of the A frame, and led down to the working deck. When the RYANE SISTERS is scallop fishing, the two rakes are deployed from the stern and dragged over the scallop grounds. The loaded rakes are retrieved at regular intervals and their contents emptied onto the dump table. The empty rakes are then re-deployed for dragging while the deck crew sort through the contents of the dump table for scallops. When all of the scallops have been collected in plastic boxes, the table is raised on its hinges and sea-floor residue is dumped back into the ocean (see Appendix A, Photo. 6). Meanwhile, the deck crew shuck, clean, and bag the scallops for stowage in the fish hold and the cycle continues. On 18 May 1997, upon heading out from St, John's, Newfoundland, the crew was split into two watches working six-hours-on and six-hours-off. The captain and the mate alternated the bridge watch while the remainder of the crew were engaged in deck operations and shucking the catch. On 26 May 1997, in position 4518' N, 4907'W, some 200 miles off the Newfoundland coast, the vessel was in the process of hauling in the loaded rakes when the table was raised into the dumping position. An empty scallop box had moved over the deck and was lodged at the aft bulwark in way of the raised dump table. The attending deckhand went to retrieve the plastic box, a practice which reportedly had been carried out during this and other trips. At about 2330,[2] while the deckhand was stooping under the raised dump table, the topping lift cable parted, the dump table fell, striking and seriously injuring him. The dump table was raised again using the secondary topping lift and the injured man was removed from the dump table area. The master contacted St. John's Coast Guard Radio Station for medical assistance and arrangements were made for a medical evacuation (medivac). The scallop rakes were retrieved and the vessel headed for St. John's. A search and rescue (SAR) helicopter was dispatched to the vessel and transported the injured deckhand to the Health Science Centre in St. John's. As a result of being struck by the dump table, the deckhand suffered a fractured right femur and left tibia as well as scrapes and bruises. He was 19 years old, making his first trip this year and had made only one other trip to sea. He held no marine certification nor had he taken any marine safety training, although these were not required by authorities at the time. It happens that the crew of the vessel may change from one trip to the next. Deckhands can be hired off the wharf on short notice with little time to assess their seagoing experience or abilities. The recently formed Newfoundland and Labrador Professional Fish Harvesters Certification Board intends to implement a program for the eventual certification of all professional and apprentice fish harvesters. The RYANE SISTERS had a valid ship safety inspection certificate SIC 29 extended to expire 17 May 1999. The weather at the time of the occurrence was reported to be winds southerly 25 knots with visibility 6 to 8 km with light rain and an air temperature of 3C. The vessel reportedly had its stabilizers deployed and was rolling very little. The topping winch was rated to be capable of exerting a pulling force ranging from 2.6 to 3.9 t, depending upon whether the cable drum was full or bare. The topping lift cable when new, had a safe working load (SWL) of about 2.2 t. It showed signs of wear extending approximately 1.5 m on each side of the point of failure. Indications of cable crushing and heavy smearing were evident. It was reported that the cable had been newly installed just prior to the previous trip. The topping block was a second-hand towing/trawl block normally used to guide warp cable over the stern for dragging fishing gear. It had been installed as a topping block several trips previously. The surface of the sheave had been built up with weld and the groove was improperly shaped to support and guide the lifting cable. There were signs of concentrated wear over one side of the wide roller-type sheave groove and indications were that the cable had at times moved over the edge of the sheave to rub on the cheek of the block (see Appendix A, Photos 3 and 4). Reportedly, fishing gear, blocks, and cables were inspected by ship's personnel after every trip. Both lengths of the parted wire cable were recovered for analysis by TSB Engineering Laboratory.